27. Bob McAdoo
In his prime, Bob McAdoo was truly one of the more dominant forces in the NBA as one of the league’s premier big men. By the time he made his way to Los Angeles for the 1981-82 season, he was no longer that type of player and injuries and old age were slowing him down. Even still, he spent four years at the start of the Showtime era with the Lakers and made his presence felt on those teams.
Considering his age and limitations while he was a part of the franchise, McAdoo’s production was actually quite remarkable. Through four seasons with the Lakers, McAdoo averaged 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 block per game, but did so while playing just 20 minutes per game. He was almost a super-role player for those early Showtime teams, able to bring a wily veteran presence off of the bench and simply dominate for brief stretches in the post.
McAdoo is one of the often overlooked transcendent talents that the NBA has ever seen. While he was no longer that type of player when he made his way to the Lakers, there were still remnants of that guy that shone through when he would come into games and that, coupled with him being a part of Showtime, earns him the No. 27 spot.
Next: No. 26 Jim McMillian